Every generation is defined by something. Be it the sixties kids and the advent of rock and roll, the seventies kids and more of that or something, the eighties and the commercialization of it all, and the nineties by the deconstruction of the eighties’ superficiality. But, what defines our generation, the kids who grew up in the 2000s and 2010s? With the surge of remakes and throwbacks, it appears that our generation is defined for nostalgia for the decades before us.
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Let’s be real. Every other major studio movie is a remake, reimagining, reboot, or whatever roundabout way of saying redo that studios come up with (and that includes comic book adaptations). That’s no surprise to anyone. Whether we like the “updates” or not, just about every classic movie has either been remade, narrowly avoided a remaking, or is on the chopping block for a remake. Yes, remakes have always existed. John Carpenter’s classic, "The Thing"is a remake. Brian de Palma’s "Scarface" with Al Pacino is in fact a remake. The issue today is that the market has become (as Hamlet would put it) an unweeded garden, and more original films are often not given enough sunlight to truly blossom. What’s worse is that every original film now, such as "It Follows," "Drive," "The Guest" all rely on the aesthetics of bygone eras. Whether the films themselves are bad or not is up for debate, but where did the original vision go? Surely, it is just as present as ever, but why is it not being nurtured to fruition? When the biggest movie of the year is Star Wars, it makes one wonder. When will we have the next "Star Wars" that decade-defining series that pushes the envelope of blockbuster filmmaking? (I mean, there’s always "Harry Potter," but that begs the question, where is the next "Harry Potter?")
Now, think of some of the big musical acts today. Adele and Lana del Rey are reminiscent of the lounge singers one might expect in a noirish movie. Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen have apparently stepped out of time machines from the eighties. Bruno Mars’ last album, "Unorthodox Jukebox" emulates the genius of Michael Jackson and Prince.Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories" drew from those artists' inspirations. Kendrick Lamaar’s (heavily overrated, there, I said it) "To Pimp a Butterfly" makes use of jazz instrumentation. One could even make a case for rap/hip-hop music and its use of samples as the foundation for a song, but that trend has of course been around since the nineties, if not the eighties. (Here I am, outing myself as a casual.) I’m not saying that the eighties were superior with their hair metal, but at least it was identifiable amidst all the fifties nostalgia (think "Back to the Future").
Of course, I’m neglecting a great deal of things that do define our generation for better or worse. I think that our children will look back on "Harry Potter," books and films, and wonder what it must have been like waiting for the next one to come out. Will they feel the same about "Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them or Whatever?" Probably not. It doesn’t have to be the next Prequel Trilogy, but I can’t imagine that something wasn’t lost in the passage of time, and that’s O.K. As a kid, I always wanted to see the next "A Nightmare on Elm Street" movie, and (let’s not kid ourselves with the remake) that movie never came. I grew up and gave up on it. Maybe we should do the same with some of these franchises, and the same with the musical aesthetics. Part of what makes looking back on those cultural eras so interesting is how unique they were. Throwbacks are great. Some of my favorite movies and songs are throwbacks, but when I think it’s hard to experience nostalgia when you can’t escape it. Will we someday be nostalgic for those gimmicky clickbait articles or the phrase "Only 90s kids remember..."? I think that it’s time for the artists of today to be more imaginative, create more for the children of today and eventually our children to look back on, and in time, to look forward to.
